The bill’s explanatory note cites the 27,447 special votes cast in 2014 that were disallowed because the voter was not enrolled at all.

New Zealand First MP Fletcher Tabuteau’s International Transparent Treaties Bill proposes that all international treaties shall be approved by Parliament prior to the treaty being signed. NZ First was a fierce opponent of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

Tabuteau said the law change would prevent the Government signing up to “secret, backroom deals” like the TPP.

“There is a need for a higher level of transparency when small, privileged and often out-of-touch groups get to negotiate these deals on behalf of the wider public.”

National MP Stuart Smith’s Friendly Societies and Credit Unions (Regulatory Improvements) Amendment Bill is designed to bring credit unions into alignment with other financial service providers and reduce operating costs.

Very few Opposition MP bills make it into law but their selection allows the issue to be debated in a first reading.